Bond, James Bond
by Pen to Paper Writer
Summary: Richard Rodgers is left on his own when he is twelve. The public library is his first stop. He meets a man who understands him. What could happen?


A latchkey kid was what he was and that was okay with him. His mother had been stuck staying late at the playhouse rehearsing tonight or she had some other pressing detail to take care of more times than he can remember and he knew that she'd be home long after he fell asleep. But he had always loved the New York Public Library. Since he knew that his mother would be late tonight, he would take the risk and see his friend's Patience who still guards the south side of the library's steps and Fortitude who sits to the north. It's a hike from where he is right now but if he can hop onto the 6 train, he can be from his school MS 104 in Gramercy Park to the library in twenty minutes.

He exits the subway at Grand Central and makes quick work of the walk along 42nd street towards 5th Ave. The closer his friends come into view the more excited he gets. He has done this before and when he does, he gets lost in what the library offers him. When he was younger, he has read about rocket ships going to Mars, plots of bad men trying to take over the world, superheroes saving the planet and of course Bond, James Bond. His obsession with the British spy was one of his favorites. He liked the earlier books where Bond always caught the bad guy, got the girl and saved the world. He affectionately brushes his hand over the paw of Patience as he climbs the stairs towards the front doors of the library.

 _Watch over me guys I'm going in!_ Richard quietly orders the pair of loins.

He sees the head librarian and she knows exactly where he's heading. He passes the Sci-Fi section on his left and any other time he would stop and take a look around. But not today. Today is the day that the library has released Never Say Never Again. He was born in April 1971 and the movie version of Live and Let Die was still being filmed and would be released when he turns two years old. But he knows that most of the people who don't read Bond books never realized that all of them were written long before they were made into movies. That's what he likes about them. The book versions are so much better than whatever Hollywood could ever put out.

He turns away from the desks dotting the mystery section sets his sights on the 'new release' section and looks for "Fle" on the book's spines. He sees it but can't reach it since it is on a high shelf. Knowing that climbing on the shelves is a not allowed, so he grabs the step stool from the end of the aisle and has just enough height to snag the book. As he reached for the book a man who had greyish blonde hair reached over him and took the book from the shelf depriving him of the latest Bond book.

"You don't want to read this." The man said in a thick husky voice as he tucks the book under his arm.

"Oh yeah? Why not?" Richard asks a little brashly stepping off the stool.

"Because there are so many other books by Fleming that are a better read."

Richard who knew just about everything that Ian Fleming wrote decided to challenge the older man.

"Name me one," Richard said.

The man looked down at Richard and said,

"Follow me, son."

Knowing that he was safe inside the library and he was twelve years old he decided to follow the man, what bad thing could happen in the library he thought.

The man who walked away from him and towards the mystery section. He turns at the section he had spent a lot of time in. He knew just about every book in this section. Thinking that the man would stop and show him a Fleming book in this section, he waited for the inevitable. Richard started to slow when he came up to Diamonds are Forever and Live and Let Die but the man kept moving away from him. He quickly moved to catch up and the man turns the corner and enters the next aisle and stops dead in his tracks.

When Richard finally gets there he stands next to him. Then he sees him reaching for a book he could have easily reached. But maybe he thinks this is not about how easy it is to get this book.

"This book right here is the first. It put him on the map and made Fleming became who he was."

The man takes the book down from the shelf and hands it to Richard. Knowing that he has never seen this before and he waits.

"Casino Royal? It sounds like a circus book!"

"Ahh it might sound like that, but read the first page." The man suggests.

Rickard takes the hardcover book and flips past the title and the introduction and starts to read. Within seconds the man can see that the boy is drawn in by what he is reading.

He watches as the young boy reads and knows that he's drawn into a world where he forgets where he really is. The older man gently places his hands on top of his shoulders and guides him to the chairs adjacent to the desks in the section as he reads. He sits him down in a chair and takes the seat opposite him opening the book he took from the shelf earlier.

Richard is in awe.

Richard is in awe. Never has he read anything written by Ian Fleming that was this good. And you can tell he was only into the book by four pages. He stopped reading for a second and looked up at the older man who was reading his book that he originally wanted. When he looked up from his book, he noticed the slight smile he had on his face.

"So, you like it right?"

"Mister this book is amazing! How is it that I never knew about this?" Richard asked taking a break for the book.

"Many people never read this book because when the movie was made it was more of a comedy/drama. It was nothing like Dr. No or Goldfinger so people never wanted to read it just based what they heard about the movie."

"Oh. They don't know what they're missing."

"You're right. What's your name son?"

"Richard Rodgers. What's yours?"

"You can call me Cross, Anderson Cross."

Richard just cracked a smile at the delivery of the man's name. He thought about it and if he was a little younger this man could have been a spy.

"So what do you do Mr. Cross?" Richard wanted to know.

"I am a janitor here at the library. This is how I knew about Casino Royal."

"I'll bet you read a lot when you have a break."

"I try to read as much as I can. Can I ask where your mom and dad are?"

"Mom's working late tonight. And I don't know my dad. He left my mom and me before I was born."

"Tough break Richard. But I'm sure that your mom tries really hard to be both parents for you."

"She does try, but it's not the same. Kids at school do things with their dads. They go to baseball games, play catch in the park and go away on weekend trips with the boy scouts that's some of the things I miss out on not having a dad."

"But you do things with your mother right?"

"She's always busy so we don't really do much of anything. If she didn't work so hard to feed us and pay the rent maybe she could find the time. But it's okay Mister Cross, we get by."

If he hadn't been called away back to Berlin back in 1971, he would have stayed with Martha. He was going to quit being an agent with the CIA but when a mission he was a part of went terribly wrong he had to go into lockdown for a year and was not able to return back to New York until about a year later. That's when he found out that his Martha had a baby. Then maybe he might have been more involved in his son's life. He hated that he had to suffer and that his life partner Martha had to scrimp and save just to feed the both of them. He really hated being what he was.

"Richard, what would be the one thing you would want to change if you had a choice?"

Richard sat there and thought about the question the older man asked. He had everything he could ever want, but what he really wanted was to see that his mother could work less and spend just a little more time with him.

"Mr. Cross there are times when my mom wishes for the man she fell in love with to come back to her. Then there are times when she wishes that he never met her. At times late at night, I can hear her crying because she had him but she lost him. She blames herself that he was her one love that got away."

"Richard, I am sorry that she went through something like that. But I can assure that while her life mate might have left her, she was never far from his heart."

"How would you know? I mean she was so alone the months after he left her."

"People have a certain way about them and your mom sounds like a woman who would not settle for second best. What I mean is that she'd forever love him."

"Even though he disappeared?

"Even then."

"Mr. Cross, I really need to be going. If I don't get home before my mother does then she'll be really mad at me for coming here to the library without her knowing. She's very protective about that."

"Oh, I see. You are here on your own then?

"I am. Mom's schedule is a little crazy when she has the lead in a new play. She hopes to be more and shows the director this. She usually acts well past the point where she already has the part. But if you ever get the chance to see her in action, you'll be surprised that she is that good. Her acting has been stellar recently and if I am right, I think she's up for some kind of Tony award."

Anderson just gives him a smirk and a silent laugh knowing that his son knows that his mother is doing everything she can to give him a good life.

"Well, Richard I think that it's time I get back to cleaning the library. I really hate to cut our time short, but there is work that needs to be done."

"No, I get it. But thanks for showing me this book. I really love it!"

"Richard, just remember that someone is always watching over you. You will be protected no matter what happens."

Richard not knowing what to say to the man just nodded his head and the man named Anderson Cross took his leave.

Xx

Rick has often thought back to that day and wondered if Anderson Cross was really who he said he was.

"Kate, do you think that my dad is still active within the CIA?"

"Rick what I think is that a very understanding and caring man took the time talk to a young Richard Rodgers and set him on a path to become a very successful mystery writer. I think that he was a man who told you that no matter what you'd never be satisfied with second best."

"You know what?" Rick asks.

"What?"

"You're right."

Rick pulls his wife of a year into his arms and hugs her until she can't breathe.

Xx

Far from Rick Castles loft Anderson Cross watches his son from a rooftop nearby. He has been keeping an eye on him ever since their meeting in the New York Public Library over thirty years ago. He regrets ever being recruited by the CIA knowing that he could never show his son who he really was…


End file.
